Online-S3 in Thessaloniki: Dissemination Events at the 10th ICEIRD Conference

As part of the dissemination processes, the Online-S3 project consortium attended the 10th ICEIRD Conference in Thessaloniki. The main aim of the conference was to explore the importance of universities, industry and government on how to promote innovation-led growth. The conference was structured around three tracks concerned with researching, co-producing and commercializing university-industry links. This conference offered an opportunity for Online-S3 to disseminate the project’s initial findings with other key stakeholders in the field of Smart Specialisation.

Abstract: The European Union’s (EU) directions for Regional Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) development call for the design and integration of a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for allowing a better control and periodic refinement of the strategy. In line with this requirement, the purpose of this paper is to present a Monitoring platform that was created in the context of the project ‘Smart Specialization’, funded through the 2007 – 2013 Interreg Greece-Bulgaria programme, with the purpose of monitoring the impact of RIS3 across EU regions. The platform, called ‘Μ3’ after the ‘Measure, Monitor, Mobilise’ approach, is a Strategic Decision Support platform, which includes (i) a measuring and monitoring module, (ii) an administration module, (iii) a data repository and (iv) a reporting module that integrates online comments by experts. M3 includes predefined templates for RIS3-specific text and monitoring indicators, whereby the policy maker is required to enter free text and numerical data. Afterwards, a monitoring report is generated automatically. This report can be stored and updated periodically. We also describe a use case of M3 in the Region of Kentriki Makedonia, Greece.

Abstract: Smart specialisation (S3) is a key idea, underpinning the EU Cohesion Policy framework in the field of innovation, constituting an ex-ante conditionality for EU Member States (MS) for receiving Structural Funds’ support. S3 requirement fosters an in-depth analysis of the EU regional characteristics, focusing on helping MS to promote a transformation of their economic structure, through an ‘entrepreneurial discovery process’ (EDP). The emerging S3 concept, appears to have remained largely ill-understood by regional policy-makers [1], whereas various contributions and RIS3 evaluation reports have highlighted the difficulties in designing and implementing this strategic framework [2]-[5]. We argue that these difficulties can largely be attributed to the lack of clear methodological guidance, as well as to the inefficiency of adopting place-sensitive policy-support methodologies, capable to define key aspects of the RIS3 process, such as related variety, priority setting, intervention logic etc. We do this first, by mapping the methods that have been used for the design of RIS3 policies, and second, by comparing these with suggested methodologies, identified in an extended literature review, covering key aspects of the RIS3 process. The analysis reveals a significant discrepancy between the theoretical description of RIS3 methodologies and their practical implementation during RIS3 strategic planning, due to high level of technical complexity. This paper elaborates on the results of the ONLINE S3 project, funded under Horizon 2020.

Abstract: The European Union (EU) has adopted smart specialisation as an innovation (industry) policy framework to boost innovation and economic growth in EU regions. The central element of smart specialisation is Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) that can be defined as a bottom-up process involving businesses, research sites, public organizations and civil society working together to identify region’s most promising specialisation areas and to overcome the potential weaknesses that hamper innovation. Despite the widely recognized status of EDP as a driver of regional innovation and economic transformation, its operationalisation has remained a challenge. We set out to investigate this with a research question: “What are the key factors underlying EDP and how to implement them for supporting entrepreneurial discovery in the region?” To answer this question we adopted a grounded theory approach and explored the dynamics of EDP through a case study in Finnish regions. Based on our interviews with 13 process facilitators of smart specialisation strategy development in 10 Finnish regions, we identified openness, engaging, networking and continuous interaction as the key factors underlying EDP. We further illustrate a process model of EDP. Our findings contribute to the theoretical debate on what constitutes EDP in the context of smart specialisation.

Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3 or S3) set priorities at national and regional level to build competitive advantage by developing and matching research and innovation own strengths with business needs. One of the steps of RIS3 methodology, is the governance scheme. This paper examines in parallel the challenges of collaborative governance schemes and online platforms as innovative ways for the successful RIS3 strategies. The collaborative governance schemes, besides a strong proposition for the RIS3, are considered a very interesting trend for modifying the perspective of citizens in politics. This tendency arises different theoretical questions about governance, democracy, inclusive society, democracy and the active participation of the citizens in any decision-making process. Additionally, online tools that support governance and policy makers are examined, aiming to identify characteristics and critical success factors that could be integrated in a new proposed governance supporting online tool. The relations of these two concepts are strongly interactive, the more we go digital the better collaboration we achieve, and the more we strengthen the co-governance schemes the better digital statistics are gathered for shaping the future trends.

Smart specialisation is an entrepreneurial discovery process that makes it possible to identify where regions can benefit from specialising in specific areas of science and technology. The European Commission suggests the development of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) should concentrate resources on the most promising areas of constructive advantage, e.g. on clusters, existing sectors and cross-sectoral activities, eco-innovation, high value-added markets or specific research areas. This calls for regions to assess their assets, single out competitive advantages and highlight the cohesive qualities of territories. The RIS3 Key and SelfAssessment Guides both advise regions on how to prepare for smart specialisation, by identifying existing strengths and the potential for future development efforts, spotting remaining gaps and bottlenecks in the innovation system and mobilizing the relevant institutions involved in the entrepreneurial discovery process. This paper sets out the results of the Online S3 project’s open consultation on these guides and the 29 RIS3 methods developed to guide this process of entrepreneurial discovery under the postlinear era of research and innovation.